Assembly Republicans are currently considering allocating part of the 2017 budget to a new voucher school expansion in an attempt to increase school choice options, the Wisconsin State Journal reported Thursday.
The Educational Savings Account would allow for more flexibility for
The ESA is backed by many Republicans, among them state Rep. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield.
“I think having a lot of different opportunities, it creates a customized education experience
Supporters of the ESA say that money would be allocated more towards parents to decide how to use funds rather than to private schools themselves. Critics argue that designating more money to voucher programs further limits funding to public schools, which is already stretched thin.
Ron Martin, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, referred to the account as a “back-door scheme” that would result in the decline of public schools and further privatization of education.
As of 2015, per-pupil funding in Wisconsin is greater for private schools than public ones, with $5,151 per student in public schools and $7,860 per student in private schools. Critics use this to argue that the account is unnecessarily costly and damaging to public schools.
The state has used voucher schools in Milwaukee since 1990 and has since expanded the program to include Racine and the rest of the state.
The account is in the very early stages of planning,
